Untitled (Kashmiri Couple) 1966

M.F. Husain made this, Untitled (Kashmiri Couple), with ink, probably on paper. Look at the way the ink has bled and pooled, creating these intense dark areas which give way to paler, almost translucent washes. It's easy to imagine Husain moving the ink across the surface, tilting and turning the support to let the forms emerge. I wonder if he had something specific in mind when he began, or if it was through the act of painting itself that these two figures came to life. There's something about the directness and immediacy of the medium that speaks to me. The way the brushstrokes capture the texture of the man's beard, and the soft, flowing lines that define the woman's veil. Artists are always building on the work of those who came before, aren't they? This feels like Husain's own take on a long history of portraiture. Embracing imperfection, ambiguity, and the magic of making.